FACT FOOD #458

The mango Alphonso is named after the Portuguese general and a statesman Afonso de Albuquerque (1453-1515). He was a key member in establishing the trade colonies of Portuguese in India. On his many journeys to India, he brought this variety of mango which he introduced to the South Western parts of India. Ratnagiri, a coastal town in Western Indian is famous for the cultivation of Alphonso mangoes. This variety of mango was shipped to London from Mumbai’s Crawford market on the occasion of Queen’s coronation in 1953, and since then, Alphonso mangoes have been imported into the UK and other parts of the world frequently.